Remembering the Fallen - One Man's Odyssey

 “I hope I can spell correctly through the tears.  We just received your package today, and there are just no words to describe it. We have so few pictures of James wherehe has a nice smile, most of the time he was goofing off in some silly pose.  I have always loved that picture of him and I together, and your touch makes it that much more special.  Thank you from the bottom of my heart for this wonderful remembrance of our son.  And thank you for your part in helping us work toward dealing with our loss and sending us on the road to heal.”

     The above thank you letter to Michael T. Reagan of Edmonds goes to the heart of The Fallen Heroes Project. I am sure you all know by now of Michael. He has, so far, sketched roughly 2700 portraits of casualties from the Iraq/Afghan wars. The portraits are offered free to families of the fallen. Michael is an artist by trade, now retired – but not quite. He won’t retire until every family that has requested a portrait of a dead son or daughter has this special remembrance of their loved one.

     These letters express the pain, the loss and, in a way, the redemption that happens when Michael memorializes those that made the ultimate sacrifice for all of us. Regardless of how any of us feel about these two wars, this weekend every one of these young men and women - and their older superiors that died, deserve a moment in our thoughts and in our prayers.

     You can donate to the project. Michael does it out of his own pocket, other than donations. http://www.fallenheroesproject.org/

The letters speak more eloquently than I ever could:

Mr. Reagan,

We just returned last night from a trip to Colorado and the young lady that was taking care of our house put your package on the kitchen counter.  WOW!  I cannot describe the feelings that my husband and I had when we opened the package.  It was Michael looking at us with those sparkling eyes and warm smile. Our family will always treasure this work of art and I hope that you know that you gave us back our Michael.  THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF OUR HEARTS!

Duffy and Sandy Watson (Mom to Michael Williams, Marine Lcpl, KIA 3-23-03)

Dear Michael,

We just received the portrait of my son A. J. and I am just amazed. I feel as though I am truly gazing into my son’s eyes. You have captured my son’s likeness right down to the smallest detail. You are a very gifted man, as you already know. May God always shine his light upon you and your family.

Joseph M. Baddick

Michael,

We received your portrait of our son Andrew today in the mail.  My first response was to take a deep breath and say, “Oh, My God.”  The portrait is wonderful.  You especially ‘caught’ the soul in my son’s eyes [even the slight crossing he had in his right eye], and his mischievous grin.

Thank you.  I can’t say that enough. You’re doing a wonderful thing here for us “Gold Star Families”

Sincerely, Mark Ehrlich

Dear Sir,

I would like to personally thank you for the service that you are doing for the families of the fallen American service members. I personally have been involved in 4 conflicts throughout the world since 1993. I have seen some of my best friends killed and injured in such conflicts. I am proud of the people like you who enable us, the American soldier, to continue on with the good fight. Sometimes it may not be a big deal to some of the people who do not wish to see Americans in such conflicts, but to the American soldier like me, it is a big deal. I can only respect how a person feels about such conflicts but wish they would be more on the side of the service members as they are only following orders from the above hierarchy. If only more people would serve in the US Armed Forces, they would see how it is to be a soldier, marine, airman, or seaman. I again thank you for your courtesy and give you many thanks for it.

SGT Eugene D. Sangrey
HHT 1-14 Cavalry Squadron
Fort Lewis, WA 98433

Dear Mike,

Words can not say what our hearts feel. “Thank you” for the wonderful work of art you did of our son. “It is Shane”! May God bless your wonderful heart of kindness with His abundant blessings… My family feels one does not have to know some one personally to love them. When we looked at the portrait, we knew we loved you dear kind sir, be blessed…

With appreciation from our hearts,

Wendell, Ann, Jacob, Brandon, Raven & Clay

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Emmy winning Evening Magazine Video covers the process from Michael receiving a request to the completion of a portrait.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMonC5zjuoQ

This link gives you insight to Michael Reagan the man.

http://www.fallenheroesproject.org/about/about-the-artist/

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Thank you for reading.